Israeli hostages are free
After a war of nerves lasting hours, the radical Islamic Hamas hands over a second group of hostages to the Red Cross. Israel's military confirms that 13 Israeli and four foreign hostages have crossed the border into Egypt.
After a delay of several hours, the Islamist Hamas has released a second group of hostages. The Red Cross brought 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens across the border to Egypt in the evening, according to the Israeli military. According to Qatar, eight minors and five women are among the released Israelis.
According to the army, the convoy with the released hostages first drove to the nearby Israeli border crossing Kerem Shalom. There, security representatives wanted to check the list of names. Based on videos of the Red Cross convoy, residents of Kibbutz Be'eri near the border identified four hostages: Sharon Avigdori with her daughter Noam and the siblings Alma and Noam Or.
By Friday, 24 hostages had already been released: 13 Israelis and 11 foreigners. Among them were four German-Israelis. It is not yet clear whether dual nationals are also among the Israelis released this time. After an initial medical examination, they are to be flown to hospitals in Israel. They will also meet their families there. In return, 39 Palestinian prisoners were to be released from Israeli prisons in the evening. According to Hamas, they include six women and 33 young men under the age of 19. The prisoners are to be released near their homes in the West Bank or East Jerusalem.
Qatar had to make Hamas give in
Just a few hours before the release of the hostages, Hamas had unexpectedly halted a last-minute handover. The reason given by the terrorist organization was that, in its view, Israel had violated part of the hostage deal. Among other things, it accused Israel of not allowing sufficient aid deliveries to the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Israel rejected this and threatened to terminate the agreement, which was brokered by Qatar. After Qatar intervened, Hamas relented late in the evening.
The agreement for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas stipulates that three Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli prisons in return for every hostage taken from Israel. The day before, 39 Palestinian prisoners had already been released in this way.
The ceasefire is to last at least four days. According to the agreement, a total of 50 hostages are to be released during this time. An extension of the ceasefire for up to ten days is possible, as the Gulf emirate of Qatar, which is mediating in the conflict, had announced. Hamas abducted around 240 people in the Gaza Strip during its attack on Israel on October 7.
Despite previous halt by Hamas, another group of hostages, including Israeli and foreign civilians, is handed over after intervention from Qatar. This event marks a significant step towards resolving the ongoing tensions and potential future wars between Israel and Hamas.
The recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas includes a clause for the release of more hostages, further showing the continued impact of conflicts and wars on civilians in this region.
Source: www.ntv.de
